DAISY files on Kindle?

[rtwood]

Does anybody know if you can view ebooks in DAISY format on the kindle to work with the text to speech function?

[tomsem]

No, you would have to convert it to Kindle format. Then you could use the TTS feature.

[Tiersten]

Amazon don't list it as a supported format. It says that DAISY is just XML but I'm unsure whether the Amazon HTML reader will like the extra tags that DAISY would have. The TTS function should work for any generic text file format. The flags that disable TTS support are only in AZW I believe...

Originally Posted by Amazon

Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, Audible (Audible Enhanced (AA, AAX)), MP3, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion.

[susan_cassidy]

HTML can be expressed as XML, but it is not the same. A tag like "<paragraph>" is not legal HTML, but can be legal XML. The HTML version is "<p>". HTML supports a specific set of tags.

[Tiersten]

Originally Posted by susan_cassidy

HTML can be expressed as XML, but it is not the same. A tag like "<paragraph>" is not legal HTML, but can be legal XML. The HTML version is "<p>". HTML supports a specific set of tags.

Yup. I know. I'm unsure what the HTML reader in the Kindle would do with those tags. It might ignore them all and just show you the text or it might just not show you anything. I don't have a DAISY file to look at.

rtwood's best bet is to find something which can convert the files into something the Kindle can support.

[rtwood]

Thanks all for the replies. Does anyone know of a good way to convert DAISY files to a Kindle friendly format? I work in schools with students who have reading difficulties and I am just trying to explore ways to use text to speech to help them access textbooks, novels, etc. We can get free books in DAISY format from www.bookshare.org for our students and would love to be able to use a light weight, economical, and "cool" device like the kindle 3 with these students.

[bcwitt]

I too am looking to find a way to use Daisy software through bookshare.org on a Kindle. I am also a special education teacher looking to help with the text to speech feature. Any suggestions?

[rtwood]

The best way I've found to convert DAISY files to Kindle format is a 2 step process:

1) You have to use a computer program that will convert DAISY files to EPUB format. Don Johnston makes a product cleverly named "DAISY to EPUB" for about $100.
2) Then you have to take the EPUB formatted file and convert it to MOBI format, which the KIndle supports. I have found a free tool called "Calibre" that will do just that.

You can then load the MOBI formatted book on the Kindle and read it that way. It's kind of a pain, but the only way I know how to do it.

[MarkFickett]

I was able to read DAISY files from bookshare.org on Kindle Fire 7" tablets by sideloading the Go Read app.

My SO teaches special ed, and got Kindle Fire tablets for her students through Donors Choose, not realizing beforehand that Amazon's app store didn't have apps to read DAISY files. However, we were able to install Go Read on the tablets through sideloading them (it doesn't require rooting the tablets, but is more complicated than using the Amazon store). In retrospect, tablets using the Google Play store would have been easier (but more expensive).

I'm replying here even though the thread is old since this is one of the top hits when searching for DAISY files on Kindles.

Here are the steps we used to sideload Go Read:

First, you have to get the APK (like an exe or application file). I got the APK by installing Go Read from the Google Play store to a non-Amazon tablet, then using "adb" (a developer tool) to get the APK. For convenience, here's a download link for the Go Read APK (fetched 2017 Jan 1). You'll need to unzip this file after you download it.

Then, sideload the APK. Summarizing these instructions: (1) install ES File Explorer from the Amazon app store, (2) use the Android File Transfer app to copy the APK into "Downloads", and then (3) tap to open the APK file from within the ES File Explorer app. (You'll need to turn on "Apps from Unknown Sources", but the tablet will prompt you to do that when you go to install the APK. Note that the instructions linked above suggest installing Google Play Services and other APKs, but you don't need to do that for Go Read to work, they're just necessary to support Google apps like GMail.)

Edit: bookshare.org has a Help Center article which basically says DAISY doesn't work on Kindle, but a thread on their forum both mentions sideloading and says they're trying to get Amazon to allow Go Read in their app store.